[Arthur Corean]
[Corean Enterprises]
[New Avalon, New Avalon System, Federated Suns]
[December 25th, 3027]
The annual "State of the Company" meeting usually ran from the 7th of January through the 9th. It was usually a quick affair that only lasted as long as it needed, that way the people who sat on my Board of Advisors could get back to their own business as soon as possible.
However, given what had just arrived a few days ago, I felt it prudent to have the meeting early so that my key members could get their presents from me on Christmas- just as God intended.
My cut from the Helm Cache had arrived, and I had one completely overhauled airfield within the greater Corean Complex- its four hangars were stuffed to the gills with Battlemechs, Combat Vehicles, Support Vehicles, and Aerospace Fighters. There was one more planned airfield to the south, with three more Corean Security Forces hangars planned for the south, east, and west, but it would be a few more years before those were up and ready. So, in the meantime, Hanse had graciously allowed me to store the rest of the contents of my cut at some of NAIS' empty lots and yards; they unsurprisingly attracted a lot of attention from the Cadets of all stripes, the kiddos flocking to the chain-link fences surrounding the yards to marvel at the rank upon rank of Metal on display. The storage facility had a mixture of Corean Security Forces and members of the 3rd Davion Brigade of Guards watching over it, so I didn't see the harm in letting the Cadets gawk and marvel at the machinery from a safe distance.
The only rub was that I'd need to find more space to put all of my free Metal because the cut from the Antares Cache would be arriving by this time next year, and if I didn't make space to store it then I'd have to rent space from the AFFS at the 2nd Brigade of Guard's fields and I didn't want to have to pay good money just to store stuff.
It was amazing, really, the generosity on display from Katrina and Hanse; they found three Regiments worth of Battlemechs and Combat Vehicles at the SLDF 12th Army's supply depot at Antares, and they were giving me a full third of the cut. Which I was both pleased and perturbed by- would it kill them to just store it for me for free until I could actually make use of all of it? Come on, give me a break!
It was seriously a case of 'First World' problems- 'What am I going to do with all of this Metal? I hardly have enough hands to hold it all!'
So I was going about solving my problems by giving a large amount of it away for free to the people who support me.
As Christmas presents.
Because that's just how I roll, son.
Standing with me underneath a set of very nice heat lamps was a large gaggle of people who were closest to me and the family.
Seymour Harding was my biggest supporter, an old advisor who'd been on the board since the days of my grandfather; a staunch Davionist, the man had been instrumental in helping me transition Corean Enterprises away from its multi-national status to a completely Federated Suns venture. Next to him stood his son, Ruval Harding, and his grandson, Emile Harding-Escobar. Ruval was old enough to be my father and was a true son of the Federated Suns much like his father, and he would slip into the advisory role when Seymor decided to shuffle off his mortal coil; Emile, however, was a few years younger than my brother.
Count Ahmed Asakamori was the husband of Sophia Asakamori, the nobles of the world of Cassias that supplied Corean Enterprises with a great deal of our refined materials. My father had included the Countess on the board to tie our two families closer together, and with that came a very large paycheck for her services. With them were their three sons, Haruchi, Issei, and Mahmoud, the three men almost a decade my senior and had prominent positions within the Asakamori Minerals Unlimited Corporation.
Allen Chen was the company's contact within the Capellan March just as much as the Asakamori were ours in the Draconis March, and while he didn't have a noble title or holdings, the Chen family was well respected within the March for their long history of service within the AFFS. His son, Chuwen, and his daughter-in-law Alice, along with their three children were in attendance.
Geraldine Moore was a local New Avalon Baroness who oversaw Hamilton City and the small Corean Enterprises electronics facilities there, though we haven't quite hashed out how we'll be re-vamping those complexes yet. I was leaning more toward keeping them 'organic' with their focus remaining on producing stand-alone electronics packages for units and Mercenary companies looking to upgrade their Combat Vehicles and Mechs to something more modern. Then we'd toss in a few Mini-SCMFs for weapons manufacturing and a few ordnance plants to supply the war machine with all of the munitions it needed to remain in a surplus. It wasn't a whole lot, but with the zoning restrictions as they were, we couldn't do very much to expand the employment opportunities for the Hamilton City area; Jerri was happy enough to hear that they would be included in the reconstruction efforts. Her daughter was with us, Talia, but the middle-aged woman had yet to find herself a match and was thus a Stag at this get-together.
Finally, Yeathers, Yuri, Amelia, and my youngest sister- whom I'm meeting for the first time since she was born- Julia, was with us.
A frosty wind swept some loose snowflakes across the tarmac of the airfield as I waited for the signal from one of my employees- triple pay on Christmas day was an excellent way to motivate some people, especially since I waited until the early evening to have this little celebration; they got to spend the morning and afternoon with their families, and then they got to pick up some extra cash in the evening.
There is a reason why Corean Enterprises was ranked Number 1 in 3027 for 'Best Corporations to Work For' by New Avalon Industrial Monthly; bringing forth some novel 21st Century business concepts such as paid holidays, seven days of paid sick leave, two weeks of paid vacations per year, and quality medical insurance made Corean one of the best employers to work for. Though I did have to fight tooth and nail to get the work week dropped down to 50 hours a week; when the 'standard' work week in the Inner Sphere would give a Japanese Black Company a run for its money, the thought of working less to give your employees a life outside of the company was damn near unthinkable.
Yes, it added 20% to our HR costs each year, but with our profit margins being more than respectable and the Crown picking up 40% of our rebuilding and expansion efforts we could afford to let our employees have nice things as well. It made them happy, it made them work hard, and when it came down to things like 'Crunch Time' or needing volunteers to work on Christmas Day so that 'the Boss Man could have a nice Christmas Party for the Board Members' they were always more than happy to assist.
Generational loyalty was something commonly seen in this crazy universe that I'd come to call home, and if you took care of your people to the best of your abilities then they would take care of you.
I glanced at the corner of my eye to see everyone shifting under heavy winter cloaks, but the excitement was undeniable, and while we waited I decided to give a little speech.
"My father, Henry Corean, was someone who wanted to explore the stars when he was a young man. In his personal journals, he wrote all about the fantastic places he wanted to go, to all of the worlds he wanted to visit so that he could live out his dreams of being a LosTech Prospector," I reached out and grabbed onto Yeather's arm and dragged it close, making sure to wrap my mitts around her slim fingers so that the nippy air would frost them over, "Even when he was learning to take over the reins of the company from his father, and even after that, he never gave up on his dreams. He used his connections to dig deep, to unearth data from various Star League relics and archives- and even personal memories from SLDF General Officers- and he put together a list of places where he was going to take expeditions out to once he retired and handed the company over to me."
Yeathers leaned into my side and placed her head on my shoulder, and I could see Yuri wrap his arms around Amelia and Julia's shoulders to pull them in close.
"Unfortunately he did not have the opportunity to seek out his dreams and explore the places he wished to visit. He, and our beloved mother, perished before he ever got the chance, but in his will, he left me his journals and all of the information he had gathered... likely in the hopes that one day I would set out and do what he could not," I inhaled slowly as I squeezed Yeathers to me, "However, given the real threats to my life, stepping foot outside of Corean Enterprises for anything that isn't strictly necessary is a dangerous prospect. It has been difficult to parse, to have my personal freedom so restricted by the machinations of those who would see me put six feet under, and as galling as it is... I have come to accept that I can do more for the Company, the people I am now responsible for in the Petrolia System, and my family by keeping myself alive. I'm no good to anyone dead, least of all the people who care about me the most."
Big Sis squeezed me back as she sniffed, and I smiled as warmly as I could, "However, even if I was not in a position to put my father's hard work to good use, I just so happened to know someone who could."
I raised my head from my teary-eyed sister's visage to look over the small gathering, "The First Prince and MIIO. I carefully packaged everything Henry Corean had gathered together throughout his life, along with some observations and intelligence I'd gathered myself, and presented it to the First Prince in the hopes that maybe, just maybe... something could come from it."
"It was a long list, one where some of the entries only had a few scant sentences to go off of, but... son of a bitch," I smiled ruefully, "If father hadn't perished when he did, dare I say he would have gone down in history as one of the most successful LosTech Prospectors in history, because for all of the entries that had only a scant bit of information, it was enough for the analysts at MIIO to put together a more comprehensive action plan, and the expeditionary teams struck pay dirt."
Almost as if I'd planned it, one of my employees stuck his head out of the front door to the hangar's security checkpoint, and after I gave him a wave, a thunder of warning klaxons began to sound- red and white lights flashing above the multi-slatted hangar doors- and the doors began to part.
"What you're about to see is only part of the bounty that was uncovered," I raised my voice quite a bit to be heard over the ruckus, "And it was beyond anything we could have possibly imagined!"
When the doors finally stopped their trek, the warning klaxons cut off, and before us was a deep, dark, yawning pit that was almost impossible to penetrate as the sun had long since set behind the mountains to the west.
'Chunk. Chunk. Chunk. Chunk, chunk, chunk.'
A row of lights came on at the very front, followed by another, and then another, and then another; it was all very cinematic, and I'd have to give the lad who thought to do that a nice little bonus for his presentation.
I took great pleasure at seeing all in attendance go stiff and slack-jawed as the monstrous hanger contained a full regiment of Battlemechs standing shoulder to shoulder; row upon row with Lights standing in the front, Mediums behind them, Heavies behind them, and lastly the Assault Mechs stood the tallest and the proudest. Behind them was a Lance of each model of Combat Vehicle, and behind them a singular example of each Aerospace Fighter that was part of my cut.
"I honestly hadn't expected to get a cut of the findings, not when I firmly believe that for all of our nation's strength the AFFS could always use more Metal... but the First Prince and his fellow Partner in this venture are both generous souls. They refused to see that the finds that Henry Corean helped uncover be denied to his children, and thus here it is- the first shipment of The Great Henry Corean Find of 3027," I was insistent that my father have all of the glory for this find, and when it came time to inscribe this momentous occasion in the history books, so it would be named.
I turned my attention to the Members of the Board and their attending family members, "And seeing as it is Christmas and I am a man who believes in spreading the joy around, to each member of the Board of Advisors I am giving a Battlemech, Combat Vehicle, or Aerospace Fighter of your choice- to you and your families. However, for the Asakamori family, in light of the constant danger your realm is in, I am granting two Mixed Battalions of Battlemechs, two Battalions of Combat Vehicles, and two Squadrons of Aerospace Fighters."
Countess Sophia reached up and tugged her hijab close around her scalp as she licked her lips, "This is... most certainly a generous gift, Arthur."
"I would beg to differ," I replied easily as I let go of Yeather's hand, my sister and the rest of the group already beginning to flow toward the hangar, and I fell in step with the Count and Countess, "Askamori Minerals Unlimited provides almost thirty-seven percent of the refined materials that Corean Enterprises uses here at New Avalon and on Augusta, and once the other branches open up you will need to expand production accordingly. The Chief Snake has seen your importance and has dedicated resources to attempt to disrupt your operations almost yearly at this point; the 17th Hussars have done a fantastic job at repelling them, but there is no doubt that the County Militia has shed more than their fair share of Blood and Metal in the defense of your industrial capacity."
I was a bit shocked when the Count and Countess split up and framed me on both sides, our arms linking with me at the center, but I just decided to roll with it.
"I know my father would have dedicated more resources to your defense if he could have, but now that we have those resources? I feel like I am merely fulfilling the obligation to defend our most important supplier in his stead. Though this is hardly all of it, and with those two mixed Battlaions of 'Mechs will be a Command Lance of Royal Grade machines..."
"I would think that what you have offered is more than generous enough," Count Ahmed stroked the stubble of his salt-and-pepper beard on his face, "But I would not say 'no' to such a Command Lance. We can finally retire the family's Dervish for something with a bit more authority..."
I nodded as we reached the spindly chicken legs of a Locust painted in the SLDF's famous olive drab colors, "Now. Some of these machines are obviously out of production, so you'll need to make do with the plentiful spare parts on hand. However, once we get the facilities here up and operational exchanging them out for new production Corean Battlemechs will be a simple affair. While the machines the Star League made are superior to what can be found available for purchase now... the ones we'll be producing? They'll be far superior."
"I wouldn't doubt it, Arthur," Sophia's voice was warm, and a light chuckle left her lips as she watched her almost 40-year-old offspring and their spouses motion my ground crews for mobile staircases like a pack of raving children; it appeared as though they'd already chosen their machines, "I wouldn't doubt it at all."
Yuri, being the fine young man of culture that he was, chose one of the four Royal Marauders to be his steed of choice. The machine would remain in its stock configuration, that way when we got our own Marauder lines up and running he could sell it off to a collector who would pay a high price for a genuine Royal-Grade Star League relic. Keeping it in its stock configuration with all original parts would only increase its value, so dicking around with it would only cause problems.
Besides, Yuri knew me, and he knew full well that what we would make for him when the time came would be objectively superior, but the MAD-3R was an excellent machine for the time being.
Yeathers, in the meanwhile, chose to take one of the Royal Grade Pillagers, however, she would have me modify it heavily; she wanted the 300 XL engine in it out, and coincidentally Mason's Marauder build needed an XL engine in. So that would be an easy thing to do.
Amelia went straight toward the Royal Chippewa, and while I would have been more inclined to steer her toward the non-Royal Chippewa if only for the same reason, I knew that it would be some time before Amelia would actually be able to fly the damn thing herself. By the time she was ready to get behind the controls for real, I'd have everything up and running to build her a better ASF... or if not, at least a Chippewa that was up to my personal standards. Though at that point I think I could convince her to either hold onto this valuable Star League relic or sell it to pay for the upgrades to a stock Chippewa.
The only one of our family that hadn't picked anything was Julia, the 16-year-old girl appearing... not disinterested but unimpressed?
"Is nothing here to your liking, little sis?" I asked as I stood next to her, and she shrugged diffidently.
I stood there for a few moments before tilting my head as I looked over her posture- stiff, but with a hip cocked out and a carefully neutral expression, though she was far from a pro at masking her annoyance.
"You're... giving me the silent treatment?"
She rolled her eyes, and I frowned.
God, save me from teenagers.
"You do realize that not communicating isn't going to help solve any issues we might have, don't you?"
She inhaled and then huffed before walking off toward Yeathers and immediately engaging her in some idle small talk, leaving me standing there with my proverbial dick in my hand- just swinging in the breeze.
I haven't seen her since she was small enough to be carried around on my hip! What possibly could I have done to earn such an attitude?
Thankfully I was saved from further ruminations on my youngest sibling by the arrival of a small truck, the first prototype of the 'Everyman' series of cars that CDM was going to start manufacturing; this was the first one, and as such it was the one where we tried our best to identify any mistakes. The monobody chassis was incredibly stiff, which was good as a stiff frame made the drive predictable, and when paired with the hearty shocks the vehicle was pleasing to drive, but it led to the problem of repairability; if the frame was damaged then the entire vehicle would considered a loss. So with the second prototype, we segmented the frame into seven separate pieces that would be joined together, and in the event of something more than a fenderbender, the damaged sections could be replaced. Thus the first prototype was relegated to ferrying employees around the Corean Complex; to my amusement there had been a waiting list that sprung up for teams to get their hands on the steering wheel, and day slots were being traded around for favors.
As it was Christmas Day, with all but a skeleton crew of bachelors and older folks working, the number of people who could be driving the vehicle was incredibly small.
I was proved right when I saw Samantha climb out of the driver's side and Major- er, Colonel Lingling Ming climb out of the passenger side.
Samantha, having known what I would be doing- and having seen to some of the prep work for this Christmas Day celebration herself- didn't look all that surprised, but Colonel Ming's eyes were wide and there was a large smile on her lips as she stared at all of the Metal behind me.
I crossed the distance and held out my hand, "I'm glad you could make it Lingling, and congratulations on the promotion."
Her beautiful dark eyes left the 'Mechs and she took my hand, the woman flushing in the cheeks as I kissed the backs of her knuckles, "Huu, huu, huu~. Not while I'm in uniform, Arthur~."
Once I released her hand she looked down at the rank tabs on the shoulder boards of her AFFS-issued cold-weather jacket.
"It was one final gift from the First Prince. Since I'm going to be a Mercenary now and all, people outside of the military take Regimental Officers more seriously, and that is true in the AFFS as it is in the LCAF," Her smile was bright and cheery, "So for the next six months I will be the Regimental Commander of the Davion Heavy Guards' Battlemech forces, long enough to earn my Grade so that when I retire I can do so with full pension and benefits as betting a Colonel of the AFFS."
I arched an eyebrow, "So if you've been promoted then that means..."
"Kuu, kuu, kuu, yes~," The Colonel chortled behind her fingertips, "Marshal Werner got promoted to the Command Staff of the First Prince and our dear Ardan is now Marshal Sortek. He was so mad!"
If it was even possible, my eyebrow climbed higher, "And he was mad because...?"
My sweet, former Death Commando mistress pouted, "It means that he now has even more paperwork to do while he follows the Prince around, of course! He's the Prince's right hand, and that will never change even if he's the Marshal of the Heavy Guard, but administration still needs to get done even if he's on New Avalon while the Guards are on Galax."
I hummed in acknowledgment, paperwork was never fun, even if you had a perfect memory like myself; it's why I had assistants and receptionists to handle that for-
Lingling's gasp caught me off guard, "Arthur, is that an Atlas?"
I blinked and looked over my shoulder to the grinning skull visage looming over the Regiment of Battlemechs from its position in the rear, "Yyyesss? Would you like it?"
"Yes!" She grabbed me by the hand and began dragging me toward the Atlas, the woman snaking us around the feet of a Locust, between the feet of a Shadowhawk, and around the backwards chicken legs of a stock Marauder before we finally arrived at the Atlas AS7-D.
The Colonel clapped her hands twice as she walked around it.
"In pristine condition, an Atlas AS7-D! An LRM-20, an Autocannon-20, four Medium Lasers, and an SRM-6! All of this destruction clad in 19.5 tons of armor plating," She shook her hands as if flicking water from her fingers, "Oohuuhuuhuu... the mischief I could get up to in this!"
I felt a hand touch the lower back of my long coat and I looked to see Samantha worming her way against my side; I raised my arm and settled it over her shoulder, pulling my sexy redhead close, "I take it that you don't like your current ride as much?"
Colonel Ming's head popped out from behind the ankle actuator on the far side of the 'Mech and she made a face while waggling her hand from side to side, "I pilot a Grasshopper, the -5H. I like the energy loadout, but the LRM-5 in the head just feels like a waste! I'd much rather have a Medium Laser there and two extra heatsinks, but the Techs refuse to let me modify it because it goes against the TO&E. Though the jump jets and speed are rather nice... buuutttt I wouldn't hesitate to exchange the 'Hopper in for this beauty!"
She patted the 'Mech's ankle as she cooed, her dark almond eyes on me, "You'll rebuild her and make her all nice for me before I retire, won't you, Arthur?"
I shrugged easily, "Remind me to let you play with the Mechlab when you have some free time, love. You can build her out to your specifications, play around with the designs in the Sim Pods, and figure out what you like and don't."
The Colonel rounded the Atlas' foot and she buried her face into the sternum of my coat, I rumbled a laugh as I wrapped an arm over her shoulder and hugged her close to my front, "Well then, Merry Christmas, Lingling."
A throat clearing to my left caught my attention, and I looked over to see Yeathers standing there with a polite smile on her face as the thick furred collar around her neck rustled in the breeze, "Arthur... would you mind introducing me to these two? I don't think we've had the pleasure to meet yet, I am Yeathers Corean, Arthur's sister."
I grunted and the three of us parted as I held out a hand toward Samantha, "Ah... sister, this is Samantha Sterling. She is my Chief Receptionist, personal assistant, and my fiance..."
"Fiance... hmmmmmmmmmm?" My sister smiled warmly, though the temperature around her was far colder than the nippy December air, "Charmed, Samantha. And who is our dear Colonel?"
I winced slightly, "And this is Colonel Lingling Ming, the commander of the Davion Heavy Guard's Battlemech Regiment."
As if completely uncaring- or oblivious- to my beloved sister's frosty disposition, Lingling reached out and took Yeathers' hand with a broad smile on her lips, "I'm Arthur's Mistress."
"M-Mistress?" Yeathers barely stopped herself from choking as she readjusted her coat the moment Lingling released her hand, and she turned her crystal-clear gaze toward me, "You certainly are moving rather quick, Arthur. Here I was worrying naught but a year ago that I might have to go out and find you a wife myself... and here you are with a Wife-to-be and a Mistress."
"The... date was only set a month ago, Sis, and I had already sent out the last courier message by then," I felt icy claws tickle the back of my neck as my Big Sis crossed her arms underneath her breasts, "And since you were coming here for Christmas for this, I thought I would announce it here and now."
I could see her eyes narrow slightly as she mentally tracked my logic, and her posture shifted to something less confrontational, and my Big Sis nodded, "Very well then. However, do expect me to steal your ladies for the rest of the evening, and likely for the next few days, Arthur. There are things that ladies of House Corean should know, and since Mother is not here to explain them then that duty falls to me."
A slow breath left my nose as I relished in the stay of execution.
Still, I gazed down at her, "As long as everything stays 'holiday' and doesn't tread into any sort of 'shovel speech' I think I will be fine with that. We're all grown-ups here, and with this festive mood I'd like for everyone to enjoy the Christmas Spirit for a while longer before the new year rolls around."
Samantha took my hand and she smiled, "I think I can handle some time with your sister, Arthur. Besides, there are some things that she should be read in on as well."
The woman referenced herself and Lingling's role in acting as my protectors, and I nodded, "Fair enough. If there is anyone who deserves to know then it would be Big Sis."
"Know what, exactly?"
I snapped my fingers, and looked at Yeathers, "Before I forget-"
Big Sis rolled her eyes, "As if you ever forget things, Arthur."
"-I'd like for the Countess of House Corean to help me spread some holiday cheer," I rubbed my hands together, "In the form of an investment."
Yeathers' eyes narrowed once more as she tilted her head to the side and back so that she could stare down her nose at me, "What sort of investment?"
"The County Estate of Corean has oodles of cash that we've been sitting on these past few centuries, doing nothing but collecting interest. I'd like to take a significant portion of those finances to start building up other facilities. I have the rights to Jolassa Weaponry on Bristol and their lands, and Federated Industries has promised to stop fucking around with the lands Grandfather purchased on Novaya Zemlya all those years ago, so the re-zoning from 'Residential' to 'Industrial' should give us a nice plot of land to develop as well. Not to mention we have the SCMFs to start building on Augusta... and the orbitals to take out of mothballs."
I could see the gears turning behind Yeathers' blue eyes as she digested what I said so far, and she nodded, "Go on."
"Since the Corean family is being split now between the Dukedom of Petrolia and the County of Augusta, and the ownership of the company flows from parent to child... that would remove Corean Enterprises from the County entirely," I paused until she motioned for me to go on, the pair of us knowing full well that this would be the inevitable outcome the moment the Prince enobled me and made me a Duke, "I don't believe that the fruits of House Corean's labor should be stripped away, so to ameliorate that and ensure that the County and the Corean family get their due... in exchange for a sizeable investment, I will permanently enact a tithe of 8% of profits of Corean Enterprises- and any future forms it might take- to be disbursed to the Coreans of Augusta in perpetuity."
Such a measure never was necessary before because House Corean was Corean Enterprises. However, with the split into a County and Dukedom- with the lower-ranked House nominally becoming the Branch House- that meant that legally there would be no recourse for them to continue to receive the funds from Corean Enterprises; the massive moral and ethical concerns were inconsequential to the law of the Federated Suns.
I'd have to be a raging douchebag to do such a thing, and no doubt the moment anyone heard of me doing such a thing I'd be drug- rightfully- through the mud.
There was never any fear of that, as I knew me and Yeathers knew me, and there was no way in hell I'd screw over my family in such a fashion, but the same couldn't be said for my descendants; if Hanse and Melissa's could go so bad within a single generation then I wasn't going to hold out hope that my son or daughter might do something stupid. Even if it was the County of House Corean that held all of the Jumpships and Dropships our family owned... the 'Idiot Ball' in the Inner Sphere was exceptionally lightweight, easy to pick up, and memetic in its allure.
I'd have to create a company charter, a 'Constitution' of sorts that would make the corporate bylaws iron-clad legally, but within said charter would be the legal framework necessary to protect the County of House Corean and safeguard the financial well-being of my sister's children.
Yeathers inhaled softly as a thin-gloved hand toyed with her short red tresses, my sister teasing her lower lip with her teeth, "8% is a not insignificant amount, Arthur..."
She wasn't wrong. We were a multi-billion Pound corporation as it was, and with the expansion efforts and the licensing deals that I had in the works? Hundreds of millions of Pounds flowing into the County coffers each year for zero work was... more than sizeable.
Some might even say it was insane.
"What about reinvesting that back into the company? That amount of money is no small matter."
I snorted as I shook my head, "Yeathers, sweet sister of mine, Corean Enterprises is going to shoot through the roof. You know it as well as I do, but with what is rolling down the pike over the next few years? What you'll be getting will be pocket change for the corporation; if I and my children cannot manage the continued health of Corean Enterprises with the tens of billions that we'll be raking in hand over fist... then we'll be having much larger problems on our hands."
I pulled away from Samantha and Lingling and placed my hands on Yeathers' shoulders before bending over at the waist and pressing my forehead against hers, "Though our families will part and go their separate ways, we will still, forever and always be Coreans. Your House will be the beating heart of it, and this will ensure that your children, and your children's children, will forever be entitled to the fruits of our forefather's labors."
Yeathers sniffed loudly as she nodded, our foreheads rubbing together, and she reached up and cupped my cheeks, "God, Arthur. You're such a sap. I can't say I dislike the thought, however; ensuring that my babies get their due is very sweet."
I wrapped my arms around her shoulders and pulled her in close, burying my nose in her strawberry-scented hair, "Well I want to make certain that no matter what may come in the future my Big Sis and her family is taken care of. However, there will be clauses in the contract that the future CEO can enact to temporarily halt or reduce payments in times of financial distress- pending approval of the County. We can't see the future, after all, but everything will be in writing and legally binding."
"Of course, of course," She hummed in agreement, giving one last sniffle, "Now how much are you asking for?"
I let out a breath, "I think twenty-five billion wouldn't be too much to ask- ow. Ow. Yeathers..."
The thin leather fingers dug into my cheeks as she wrenched my head down with her deceptively strong arms, "Twenty-five billion? As with a capital 'B', Arthur?"
My lips peeled back to reveal pearly white teeth as I smiled through a grimace, the leather creaking as she tightened her grip to prevent my escape, "What? We're good for it. The County-"
"That money belongs to the County, to our family, yes, but we also use that money in times of strife to support our County when things are hard and budgets tight. It is our reserve, and while it is sizeable thanks to the last century it is not bottomless." The Countess of Augusta was staring me dead in the eyes as her fingers indented my cheeks, "That would wipe out half of our family's treasury- a surplus that has been painstakingly curated and grown by our mother, our grandmother, and our great grandmother."
"I understand, Yeathers, trust me. You don't need to talk to me about the financials of it all," I spoke quickly, and thankfully she reduced the pressure on my face so that I could talk without impediment, "Even if the company's profits remained stagnant, which they most certainly won't, the County would recoup the initial investment within 31 years. Then after that, it would be purely residual income. We're talking a billion per year or more to the County."
Yeathers released my face and she sighed, "And after I'm old and gray, and the money has been recouped... what would we even do with all of that money, Arthur?"
I straightened up, relishing in the popping of my spine, "I dunno? Maybe you'd like to donate some of that money to the future Outback Modernization program that I'll be starting up in the next few years for some philanthropy? Or use that income to start up your own Corean Jumpship factory, one not beholden to the Corean Enterprises orbitals that we'll be building? The Inner Sphere could always use more Jumpships, and if they're your kids I know that they'll do great."
Big Sis snorted as she tapped her finger against my sternum, "After they do a stint at Corean Enterprises and prove their chops in an established realm of business first."
I grinned wryly, "Hey, you'll be their mother, not me."
A variety of emotions flashed across Yeathers' face before she scowled and clicked her tongue, "Tsk. I spent so much of my time worrying about finding a good match for you, and yet here you are with a bride and a mistress!? I'm behind you!? How!?"
"Come now, Yeathers-"
"No! You don't understand, Arthur! My brother, the social recluse who never leaves his labs or boardroom if he can help it... is getting married before me."
Yeathers started to fake cry in front of me and I wrapped her up in a big hug and patted her back, "That's not very Holiday..."
I jumped involuntarily when she somehow managed to pinch me hard through the thick coat I was wearing.
Later that evening, I was coming out of the beautiful large shower in my underground abode with a towel wrapped around my waist when I heard some music filter into the air.
I tilted my head as I recognized the old Terra tune, and I cracked open the door.
"Santa Baby, just slip a sable under the tree~, for me~, I've been an awful good girl~"
I felt my shoulders pull back as I slipped out of the bathroom, uncaring of the water that I was leaving in a trail behind me as I walked into the Master Bedroom to see quite the sight.
"So hurry down the chimney tonight~ ba-ba-ba-boom"
Lingling Ming and Samantha Sterling were seated at the edge of the bed in a pair of sexy, Santa's Elves outfits, little hats perched on top of their heads as red and green striped stockings covered their legs.
The Capellan Minx was grinning broadly as she sang over the lyrics, and my MIIO Spy Fiance was decidedly amused as she sat there with poise.
"Arthur baby, an Atlas AS7 too, dark greeennn~, I'll wait up for you dear~," The pale flesh of her midriff was revealed as Lingling bounced up to her feet and she sashayed over to run her fingers over my bare chest, "Arthur baby~, so hurry down the chimney tooonniiiiiiggggggghhhhhhtttttt~."
The music was turned down to background noise as Samantha lowered the remote, and I looked between the two of them, "Apologies, ladies... I seemed to have left my gut and red suit at the workshop."
Almond eyes crinkled as Lingling reached up and cupped my cheeks, "You'll notice that I was singing 'Arthur, baby', not 'Santa, baby'. Fuu, fuu. Santa wouldn't get me such nice presents."
I tilted my head to the side and stared down at her, the woman shivering for some reason, "Are you saying you haven't been an awful good girl?"
"Not to the enemies of the Federated Suns," She whispered and I found my chuckle aborted when she stood on the tips of her toes to plant a kiss on my lips; when we parted her lips peeled back into a grin, "And I think for you I can be a little more naughty than nice."
A part of me wanted to cringe at the scent of such aged cheese, but the less rational part of me became a touch less flaccid at the smokiness of her tone.
I swallowed thickly, "We can't go all of the way though, not until after my wedding night."
Lingling huffed as she rolled her eyes, "That is so boring, but I think I can deal with it. It wouldn't do for me to get pregnant when I only have six months left in the service. Come on, get on the bed. There are plenty of fun things we can still do."
She grabbed hold of my hand and pulled me to the bed behind her, and Samantha took great joy in hooking a finger over the towel and yanking it away; Lingling Ming purred as she placed a hand against my chest and shoved me onto my back. "Oh yes, plenty of fun things."
It looked as though Christmas evening was shaping up to be more fun than Christmas morn…
A/N: A short little chapter to bridge the gap. I intend on there being some larger time skips here, up until major events in 3028. Dunno how large they will be, but they will be there. This 'Arc' went on for a long time because it was critical to lay the foundations so that all of the things don't look as though they're 'magicked out of thin air' for the plot.
"Oh yes, and I built a new plant on X planet. Started it two years ago and now the first half is completed." or "Ah, yeah. I laid the groundwork for this important thing years ago, it just never appeared on screen or was mentioned in the narrative."
I want there to be a natural progression for things and that means having as much important stuff on screen as much as possible, but naturally, that leads to a longer 'runtime' for the arc. 3028, 3029, and 3030 will be longer arcs as well, though more spread out with some interludes because I'm sure we all don't want to wait for too long for the good stuff to start churning out of the factories.